Art therapist Mevaseret Zion

About Mevaseret Zion

On the western exit from Jerusalem, where Highway 1 crosses the last hills before the coastal plain, Mevaseret Zion spreads over the slopes around the Castel, a hilltop that is now a national park. The local council dates from 1963, when Maoz Zion, a former transit camp of the 1950s, merged with Mevaseret Yerushalayim, founded in 1956; the result is a sought-after residential suburb about ten kilometres from the capital's centre. The Harel interchange on the highway and direct buses to Jerusalem provide the connection; there is no station of its own, so rail travellers change in Jerusalem. An absorption centre here has welcomed many immigrants from Ethiopia over the years. For an appointment, Maoz Zion and the area near the mall are easiest to reach by car; elsewhere, narrow hillside streets call for patience when parking.